Fateful Encounters
by EchoResonance
Summary: N finally sets out into the world, and he comes across an extraordinary trainer with a powerful bond between her and her Pokemon. Can she convince him of the truth behind all trainers before Unova falls to Team Plasma?
1. Astonished in Accumula

_**Okay, so these chapters will probably be kind of short at the beginning. I'm just trying to incorporate every encounter.**_

I waited until my father and the Sages had dispersed before I approached the girl. She'd been standing in the back of the crowd, watching my father with a horrified fascination on her face, when I'd heard a voice. Very quiet, but unmistakably a Pokémon, coming from a poke ball on her belt.

Her friend had already taken off, and she was standing very still, alone in the Accumula Town square..

"Hello," I said, walking up to her. She gave a small start, as though I'd surprised her, and looked me over. I was ready for a disparaging comment; that was what my father had warned me to expect. What I got was a slight smile.

"Uh, hi," she said.

"During that man's speech, I heard your Pokémon's voice," I said without preamble.

She raised an eyebrow, and that soft smile disappeared in a flash of surprise.

"You what?"

"I said I heard your Pokémon."

"Oh…kay?" she responded.

To her credit, she didn't freak out and call me a lunatic like a few others had, but she certainly didn't seem like she believed me. And why would she? Other trainers couldn't possibly be able to communicate with Pokémon the way I could; not when they just used the creatures to obtain power. Why would they care whether or not they could understand the Pokémon?

"And what did my Pokémon say?" she wondered, humoring me. Her blue eyes sparked with amusement.

"It didn't like F—Ghetsis' speech," I caught myself. Nobody needed to know my affiliation with Team Plasma yet. "It said it was happy, and that it wouldn't want to be released."

She smiled and her hand brushed over one of two poke balls on her belt.

"I'm glad. I feel the same way."

"Why do you keep it in a poke ball, then?" I wondered. "It seems that they would be more happy out in the fresh air."

She gave me a bemused look. "I supposed they would be, for a while, but sooner or later they'd _probably_ get tired, don't you think? They might also want an escape in case they _didn't_ want to walk or run somewhere, after all."

"Hmph," I answered noncommittally. Then another idea came to me. "Would you battle me?"

She blinked, taken aback. "Uh, sure, I guess."

"I want to test your connection with your Pokémon," I explained as I threw out Purrloin's ball. He burst from his poke ball and landed lightly on his feet, stretching languidly.

"Alright," she chuckled, and pressed a kiss to the poke ball she plucked from her belt before tossing it high into the air. From it came a little Snivy in a blast of white light. I knew immediately that this was the Pokémon I had heard during Father's speech. The happiness emanating from it was unmistakable, although it couldn't have been with this Trainer for long, or it should have evolved.

"Ready, Snivy?" the girl called. It jumped excitedly and zeroed in on Purrloin. "You're about to see exactly how strong our bond is, kid!"

I frowned at that, but shook it off as the battle commenced. I would win this easily; Purrloin and I were friends in a way that I doubted this trainer could comprehend. This would be a cake walk.

* * *

><p>Or not. I hurried out and scooped my unconscious Purrloin into my arms, sending him back into his poke ball.<p>

"You see?" the girl smiled, catching her Snivy as it leaped into her arms. "Good job, girl."

I shook my head and stood to my full height, which made me a head and a half taller than her, even with her tall chocolate brown ponytail.

"I'm going to continue my quest anyway. Not all Pokémon must be as happy."

She gave me a funny look, and turned around, waving over her shoulder.

"See ya then, kid."

Her Snivy followed behind her, jumping up and climbing onto her other shoulder.

I looked after them, confused. Strange. She seemed to genuinely like her Pokémon. I shook away the thought, sure that she was only one of few. And like it mattered? I'd never see her again.


	2. Nosy in Nacrene

I stood outside the building, hands shoved in my pockets, as Team Plasma rushed from it carrying the skull of the dragon skeleton that was kept in the museum. They shouted, stumbled, and ran into each other as they surged down the stairs. I shook my head. I was not here to watch them scramble like a group of startled Patrat. I was here for one reason, and one reason only.

I had caught sight of a familiar-looking girl, running for the museum that doubled as a gym upon entering Nacrene City, her long brown hair streaming behind her. Again, I caught the faintest hint of a happy voice coming from one of her poke balls, but this time it didn't sound like her Snivy. So, curious, I followed her to the building and was now waiting outside the doors, leaning against the wall. I'd been there for nearly half an hour, but I was determined to stay put until she came out. Probably not the smartest place to wait; the door flew open with a loud _BANG!_ and smacked right into my face, slamming be back hard against the wall. I coughed and spat out a couple of teeth.

"…Ouch," I groaned, rubbing my forehead gingerly.

"Oh my gosh!" someone apologized, and I felt a hand on my elbow, trying to tug me to my feet. "I'm so sor—Wait a second." It was the girl. "I remember you. You're that boy from Accumula Town. What on earth are you doing here?"

Using the wall for support, I stood slowly and attempted to shake the dizziness out of my head. That didn't help; it just made it worse, so I staggered to the short stair railing and sat down on that. Almost immediately, the world stopped spinning and righted itself.

"I—ouch—am traveling as well as you. Is it so strange that you would see me again?"

She blinked and shook her head. "Uh, well, I guess not, but—"

"I would like to share another battle with you," I interrupted. "To test the happiness of your Pokémon."

"Ugh," she grumbled. "They're still happy, dude, and I really don't have time for this right—"

"I can show you which way Team Plasma went," I promised. She stopped and looked at me through narrowed eyes.

"How would you know?"

"I've been hanging around out here for a while; I saw them take off." I shrugged.

She sighed loudly and drew a poke ball from her belt. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

I threw out Tympole; she tossed out a Blitzle. I grimaced at the type matchup.

"C'mon, Blitzle, we gotta do this fast!" Touko shouted. "Use Spark!"

* * *

><p>"They do seem happy," I allowed, calling Timburr back to his poke ball.<p>

"Duh," was the girl's answer as she called her Pidove back. "Now, you said you'd tell me where Team Plasma went."

I sighed and pointed in the direction they had gone.

"Well, thanks, I guess," she said. "I still think you're crazy, though. Bye." And she took off running.

I frowned. That girl was happy with her Pokémon, and they were in turn happy with her. She was kind to them; she actually treated them like she genuinely thought of them as friends. And they weren't the only ones, either. I had met several other trainers who shared some kind of bond with their Pokémon, who considered themselves friends. But how was that possible? Father had shown me those hurt Pokémon, those abused creatures whose "friends" had treated them as slaves. I was so sure that trainers must be awful. And yet…


	3. Numb in Nimbasa

Sitting on a rail, I observed as my Team tried—unsuccessfully—to convince others of the cruelty of keeping Pokémon in tiny poke balls. Failing persuasion, the small group opted for force. This may have worked, if not for an accursed, meddlesome, but not totally unexpected voice.

"Hey!"

I turned my head and watched as a small group of four exploded through the gates to the city. There was the always gangly raven-haired boy with glasses. What was his name? Baren? Cheren, yes, that was it. Then there was the ditzy blonde with her big green hat, Bianca. Then there was a boy I'd had yet to meet. He was about my height, with short-ish dark brown hair and dark eyes, dressed similarly to a girl I knew. And heading the little group, with a pink and white baseball cap was, of course, that brown-haired trainer with the unusual behavior.

"Scram, Plasma!" snapped the girl, leaping between the Plasma members and the harassed civilians.

"Get out of our way, girl!" sneered one of the grunts. "Can't you see that we're trying to benefit all of the Pokémon ?"

The strange boy snorted, and stepped up beside that girl. "Have you actually talked to the Pokémon about that? Most of them are _happy_ where they are. We're all friends."

"He's right!" agreed Bianca, and she too stepped up.

Only Cheren remained standing where he was, albeit he looked at Team Plasma as though they were filthy, ground-level beings. The Plasma grunts looked at one another, then one of them threw out a poke ball. From it burst a Purrloin. It landed on all four paws and gave a leisurely stretch.

"Purrloin! Use sand attack!" the grunt shouted.

The Pokémon tilted its head, then leaped forward and kicked a cloud of dirt into the trainers' eyes. Using the distraction for escape, the grunt recalled her Pokémon , and the small group made a run for it. By the time the cloud of sand cleared, the grunts were long gone, and the girl stood with her friends, fuming.

"Touko, it's alright," said Bianca soothingly. "You can't get them every time."

Touko?

The girl let out a long, slow sigh, and ran her hand over her hair.

"Yeah, I know. It's still kind of frustrating though, seeing them harassing helpless people and then losing them."

"I could show you which way they went." It was then that I finally spoke.

The girl—was she Touko?—whipped around, and actually threw her head back with an aggravated sigh.

"You _again_?"

I looked at her, slightly amused by her reaction. Her friends were not so amused.

"Who is this guy, Touko?" said the unknown boy, his eyes raking over me.

I wondered at the hostility that burned in his eyes as he looked me over. Had I done something to bother him?

"Ugh, just some trainer I met in Accumula. Gotta say, I didn't think I'd be seeing him so often."

"So you don't know each other well?" Again, that almost accusing stare. I suppressed a smile. I hadn't even given him a reason yet to be hostile. It might prove interesting if he learned who I _really _was.

"Long story. Look, uhm, if you guys could give us a minute?"

Cheren and Bianca shared a look and retreated immediately, saying something about the Musical. They turned on their heels and all but ran away. Apparently they had noticed the tension emanating from the other boy. Said boy refused to move.

"Touya, please—"

"Not a chance."

The girl sighed and shook her head before turning to me.

"Alright, N, wherever—" But that was as far as she got, because Touya blew a fuse. At least, I think he did. I still did not quite understand some of these phrases. But "blew a fuse" sounded appropriate for the scowling boy with his clenched fists and jumping temple.

"_This_ is N?" Touya demanded. I raised an eyebrow at the girl, who was frowning at her friend. When she saw my look, she shrugged.

"You think I wouldn't tell my friends about you?"

I shrugged as well, allowing her that. But, what I think we both wanted to know was why Touya looked ready to have an aneurism.

"Touya? What's wrong with you?" the girl wondered, setting a hand on the side of the boy's face. His eyes flickered to her, and some of the unfounded anger faded. His shoulders relaxed and his lips were no longer pressed into a thin line.

"This guy's, like, stalking you or something, Touko," Touya said, with an air of forced lightness. "It's creepy. And he just keeps challenging you to battles, and he has no respect for other trainers, from what you've said."

Touko? The boy had said that before. Was that the girl's name?

"I am not stalking anybody. This just happens to be a one-direction travel route if you wish to reach the Pokémon League. As for the battles; is that not what all trainers do? Do I need a detailed explanation as to why I would want to battle your friend? Is that what all the other Pokémon -abusers do?"

Touko smacked her palm to her forehead.

"Great. You just—"

"_Abusers_?" Touya shouted. He drew a few startled looks from passerby, and he lowered his voice. "We don't abuse Pokémon ! They're our _friends_! This is why I already don't like you; Touko's told me all about your idiotic and moronic ideas of the world. You must have been a _really_ sheltered child, if you really think anything is so black and white, kid, because—"

"Touya." The girl's voice was soft and firm. "That's enough."

He looked at her, then back at me. Still scowling, he stepped back.

"I think I'll go catch up with Bianca and Cheren." Then he turned on his heel and walked off.

Touko looked after him, shaking her head like one would at silly child.

"Touya's great, but he's a bit irrational when it comes to his friends. Me, especially, I guess. So," she turned to me, and any warmth for her friend evaporated. "You said you'd show me where those grunts went."

On a spur of inspiration, I pointed down the cobblestone path. "They went in the direction of the Amusement Park. Here, follow me."

She did, grumbling about stupid people going to stupid places to hide. We entered the park, and I blinked at the multitude of colored lights and the barrage of sounds. Loud gaming noises, strange music, giddy laughs and shouts.

"You may get a better view from the Ferris wheel," I said nonchalantly, pointing at the huge structure. "I love Ferris wheels. The circular motion…"

The look she gave me said she was considering my sanity.

"Uh…"

"Seriously, the view's much better up there."

She looked uncertain, glancing from me to the ride and back again. Finally she agreed.

"But I don't think they let single riders on. You have to have at least two people."

"I'll go with you," I offered. She sighed.

"I had a feeling you might."

"Then let's go!" I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the ride.

There was no wait, and we climbed on quickly. Sitting across from Touko as the ride began, I decided that, since it seemed as though we would continue running into each other, she may as well know everything.

"So…" Touko said uncomfortably. Her hands her clasped in her lap, her teeth tugging at her lower lip.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning," I started, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. "I am the king of Team Plasma…"

Not the best opener, I know, but what else would I have said?

Thankfully, Touko didn't interrupt, although that may have been because I had struck her speechless. Her face had drained of all color, and she'd leapt to her feet, causing the car to lurch treacherously. She sat down immediately, but I noticed that she sat as far from me as possible as I told her my story, and my plan.

Even after I finished, Touko didn't speak. She just stared at me, her knuckles white as she clutched her knees. Her lips were pressed together into such a fine line that they vanished. She sat like that—silent, rigid, like a statue—until the ride ended, and she bolted out of the car. I clambered out after her, apologizing to the startled woman that got the door for us, and just barely caught Touko at the gates to the park.

"I would like another battle with you, Touko," I panted, grabbing her elbow. She jerked away from my hold, but stood up straight.

"Fine. Another battle, with the same outcome, _your highness_." She spat the words with all the scorn that her friend Cheren had shown me. Without taking her eyes off of me, she chose a ball from her belt, kissed it in her customary fashion, and tossed it high. A Servine came from it. Her Snivy had evolved.

"Servine, show this guy what we do to Plasma creeps."

"I will become the strongest trainer," I insisted, even as I called back my Pokémon . "I will defeat the Pokémon League, and then trainers will have to listen to me when I order them to release their Pokémon ."

Touko snorted; Servine made a similar noise as it jumped onto her shoulder.

"Okay, kid. But know this; your title is going to impress exceptionally few."

"It impressed you."

She raised her eyebrows.

"No, it upset me, because I actually thought you were kind of cool. Weird, definitely, but cool. Oh, well. From here I'm going to make it a point to avoid more of these confrontations."

And she whirled around and stalked off. Not far away, I saw her friends exist the theatre for the Musical. Touya approached her with an outstretched hand. She brushed it away and, with a glance over her shoulder, took his hand and led her friends away. Touya followed her glance and scowled, but followed her.

I frowned. She had not seemed the least bit intimidated by the knowledge that I commanded the very group of people whom she detested. She was most certainly not happy about that, but she wasn't afraid. As she had said herself, apparently she'd been more disappointed than anything.

I didn't understand.


	4. Challenged in Chargestone

While Touko had said that she would attempt to avoid any repeat meetings with me, I intended to do the exact opposite. She was too perfect an object of observation; too perfect a comparison to others. So, I left for Chargestone Cave, a necessary passage to continue to Mistralton City, where there was another Pokémon Gym. Now I waited in the depths of the cave, having sent my guards, the Shadow Triad, to watch for Touko and lead her to me.

While in the cave, with blue electricity arcing around me, I observed the wild Pokémon of the place. Klink, Boldore, Joltik, and others. They skittered, crawled, hovered, and walked through the passages, completely at ease and happy. Every once in a while, a trainer would come through, and capture one of these Pokémon . I was tempted to interfere, but I was curious, and the Pokémon in large were not bothered by it. It seemed that, by defeating and capturing them, the trainer gained the Pokémon 's trust and favor. Odd.

"She comes, my Lord N."

I looked up; one of the Triad knelt before me, hand over his chest.

"Thank you," I nodded, and stood up just as Touko came around a corner. When she saw me, she scowled and raked a hand through her hair. It was down for a change, I noted. It looked nice down. Her other friends were nowhere to be found.

"Really, kid?" Touko demanded. "Are you _really_ so stupid that you didn't understand me back at Nimbasa when I said I wanted _nothing to do with you_? Allow me to reiterate; I don't need any familiars in Team Plasma. There's nothing about you or your people that makes me want to have anything to do with you. _Stay away from me_. God, you're annoying."

I blinked at her bluntness. She'd been so kind the first few times we'd met, but I guessed that I meant something different to her as King of Team Plasma than I did as just another trainer. I was surprised by how much that bothered me. Why should I care what some insignificant trainer thought of me? The only problem was that I no longer considered her insignificant.

"I want to—"

"Battle me," Touko finished. "Yeah, I got that now. Well, too bad. My friends are tired from traipsing through this cave, getting attacked by Plasma grunts at every turn, and I'm not really in the mood to interact with you. So make like a Volcarona and buzz off."

She made to shove past me, and the Shadow Triad materialized behind me.

"You won't be going anywhere until we battle."

Touko glanced over her shoulder, and I wondered if she was hoping her friends would catch up with her. She was probably cursing her tendency to run ahead of them now. Why did I find that amusing? It shouldn't be funny. It shouldn't be insulting, either, and yet I felt something like injury at her insistence that I was basically the spawn of Giratina or something.

"I'm not evil, Touko," I said quietly. I hadn't realized I'd spoken out loud until her head whipped around and she regarded me incredulously.

"I'm aware of that. I do however think that you're crazy, misinformed, and on the verge of really creeping me out."

"Battle me."

"Let me through."

"I will if you battle me."

"Ugh!" She threw her hands up in the air. "Are _all _guys this annoying? Or do I just have the unfortunate knack for finding all the ones that are?"

"Who else is annoying you?" I wondered.

Touko locked her jaw in a way I was quickly coming to realize was both defensive and stubborn. I had seen others do it as well, and after paying attention, I realized that I did this on occasion. Like when Anthea or Concordia tried to explain to me about the outside world.

"That's none of your business," she said tightly. "Now, will you _please_ just let me through?"

"Battle me first."

"Argh! Women would be happier on earth if there were no men!"

"That's uncalled for," I protested.

"It's true!" she countered. "Cheren with all his _strength is power_ crap, and Touya with his freaking knack for acting like my father and the older brother I never wanted, and now _you_ with your—"

By then she realized that, in her rambling, she was telling me what was bothering her, and she cut herself off abruptly, looking ready to explode.

"Look, fine, I'll battle you, but make this quick. I want to take care of my Pokémon ," she said, in an effort to distract me, I think.

"How is Touya acting like your father _and_ your brother? I do not understand how that is possible. Explain."

She laughed humorlessly.

"Think you can order me around? Look, _King_ N, you may be royalty to your lackies, but to me you're just another spoiled kid with a hundred impossible ideas and no idea what real life is like. I don't have to _explain_ anything to you, least of all what my personal life is like."

"You really do not like me," I observed.

"Noticed that, huh?" she said coldly, then she sighed and shook her head. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm tired and sore and cranky. I don't like you, no, but I don't _dis_like you either. Does that make sense?"

"…No," I answered honestly. She grumbled and raked a hand through her hair again. My eyes followed the movement, and idly I wondered how it would feel to run _my_ fingers through her hair. That couldn't be all that strange; I'd seen people do that often on my journey.

"It's not that I dislike you. I think you yourself are cool, if a little weird, but I don't like what you stand for, or what you're doing. I don't like your methods, or your people. There's nothing about you that would make me like you, when I look at the whole picture."

I tilted my head to the side as I contemplated this. I supposed that it made sense, in a strange way.

"Why is Touya your friend, if he annoys you as I do?" I asked. "Or Cheren?"

She rolled her eyes. "Wow, just can't leave that alone now, can you? Fine. Touya's been my best friend ever since I can remember. We grew up together, and we have a super strong bond. Yeah, he gets on my nerves sometimes, but everybody has those moments. The best we can do is take a deep breath and forgive and forget. The same for Cheren."

"Then why can you not do the same with me?"

"Because you aren't in even the remotely same scenario as those two. I met you a few months ago, this is, like, the fourth time I've really spoken with you, and you're the leader of an organization that I really don't like. Now _let me through_."

I frowned as I thought this over. I looked back at her, and tried for a smile.

"Well, I guess I will just have to become your friend so that you will extend me the same courtesy."

She snorted. "Yeah, okay. Let's see how well that works."

"Battle me."

"I already agreed to, if you'd quit talking." And she tossed out her Servine at the same time that I tossed out my Boldore. Luck never favored me in our matchups, it seemed.

"I'll even let you have the first move," offered Touko.

"No, no, go ahead."

"Sorry Servine, but he wouldn't let us through. Make it quick, and I'll get you guys to a Pokémon center. Use vine whip."

"There is a legendary Pokémon ," I said as I called back Klink and released him back into the cave, "one that stands for ideals. I will befriend him, and then free all Pokémon around."

Touko rolled her eyes.

"Do you know the legend of ideals and truth?" I asked. She smiled. It may have been my imagination, but I thought it looked a trifle sad. Ridiculous; how could a smile be sad? They were expressions of happiness after all, were they not?

"Yeah, I do. My mom used to tell me that story all the time when I was little. There was once a dragon Pokémon , with two trainers; brothers. Nobody could beat the brothers and their Pokémon . But soon the brothers began fighting. One wished to follow the path of truth, the other of ideals. The Pokémon warred with itself, and split in two; it became the black dragon of ideals, and the white dragon of truth. The brothers eventually destroyed themselves with their feud, and the dragons fell dormant, morphing into the Dark- and Light Stones until their next hero finds them. Legend says that, to this day, Zekrom still waits for the Hero of Ideals, and Reshiram still waits for the Hero of Truth."

I nodded.

"I will awaken the Pokémon of ideals; Zekrom. He will stand with me, and the world will release their Pokémon under his threat."

"N, that's just a story," Touko said, clearly stunned. "Pokémon can't turn into stones, and they can't split into two beings. It's just not possible."

"At some point in time, people considered TV impossible. Somewhere in the world, people one thought it insane that animals could wield the kind of power that Pokémon can. Why is it so hard to believe that this legend could be real?" I demanded. I was sure of it. I firmly believed that Zekrom was out there, as the Dark Stone, waiting for me to awaken him.

"N, that's different than believing that one solid, physical being splitting into two very different ones," Touko said.

The look on her face stated plainly that she really was considering the possibility that I truly was crazy. She shook her head and walked past me; her shoulder brushed mine as she left.

"N, I think you should remember something," she said softly at the exit. I turned to look at her; she was gazing at me with her bright blue eyes, her expression troubled.

"Yes?"

"You'll never have all the answers. For every answer you get, you'll get two questions. That's the kind of person you are. You'll never be satisfied until you have all the answers, but that isn't possible. It just isn't. Have you ever stopped to think that neither side of an argument is completely right, or completely wrong?"

I shook my head at her, confused.

"Just something to think about, before you do something you'll regret."

And she turned, and walked out of the cave.

I frowned and sat on the cool floor of the cave. The Shadow Triad surrounded me.

"My King, would you like us to retrieve her?"

"No…" I said, waving my hand at them absentmindedly. "No, that's alright."

I certainly would be thinking about Touko's words.

"Until we meet again, Trainer Touko," I said softly. "I have a feeling that you have a part to play."


	5. Miffed in Mistralton

"You know, there's a reason I can communicate better than most with pokemon," I said. "I was brought up among pokemon that had been hurt and abused by trainers. I understood them, and it was they who convinced me to liberate all those like them. And then, I set out to do just that, and I met a young girl. She was a trainer; I expected nothing. She was wiry, small, with wild brown hair, and sharp blue eyes. But, when I battled her, her pokemon said that they were happy. Her pokemon liked her. I often wonder if she returns this; if she deserves their affections."

"N," Touko sighed.

"Let me see your starter pokemon, Touko," I requested. "Let me speak with it."

Touko sighed, but reached for the poke ball at her belt that I knew held what had once been a Snivy, but which had evolved in their friendship. She popped the ball open, and a beautiful, vibrantly colored Serperior appeared before me in that now-familiar flash of blue-white light. Upon seeing me, it hissed. I put out a hand to calm it.

"What do you think of your trainer, Serperior?" I asked softly. "Does she treat you well?"

"Ser!" the pokemon grunted. _Of course_.

"Are you two friends?"

"Serp—Serperior," it responded. _She's my best friend._

I straightened up and looked Touko right in her eyes.

"Your pokemon love you. And I have learned that you love them as well. I only wish that more trainers could be like you; that's what they should aspire to be. If there were more pokemon trainers like you, I wouldn't have to free pokemon everywhere."

"But there _are_ trainers like me, N," Touko insisted. "Most trainers love their pokemon, and vice versa. It's just your misfortune that you've only met the pokemon who have been abused! Almost all of us share respect and friendship."

I shook my head, a slight smile tugging at the corners of my lips. If I had heard her say this once, I had heard it a hundred times. The only thing that kept the smirk off of my face was the knowledge that, in all honesty, she was right. I had met many trainers as I traversed the path to Dragonspiral Tower, and most, if not all, of them really seemed to care for their partners.

"Even if I did believe you, Touko, I would have to do this, for those pokemon who _are_ mistreated and abused."

"But, N—"

"No, Touko," I interrupted. "Pokemon deserve more than what they've been given. They deserve more than to be carried around in those tiny, red and white poke balls just to be used against others of their kind. Forced to battle, again and again and again, all because of their selfish, power-hungry trainers."

I moved to leave, but her hand shot out and caught my forearm in a vice like grip. Startled, I looked down at her, and her blazing blue eyes were now soft with patience.

"N, look at me."

"I am."

"No, really look at me. You aren't seeing the real me; all you're seeing, whenever your eyes fall on me, is that stereotype _you_ created. Look at me, really, really _look_, and honestly tell me that you think I am selfish and power hungry. If you can tell me that, then I'll give up on trying to stop you and Team Plasma. Tell me that, N. Look without any prejudice."

Look without prejudice. I tried. I looked down at her, forcing down all of my immediate reactions at seeing the poke balls on her belt, or in her bag, or the poketch on her wrist that designated her as a trainer. I looked at her, and suddenly, what I saw was not some evil, self-absorbed creature. What I saw was a small but brave girl, dedicated and unswervingly loyal to those she loved. A girl who loved pokemon every bit as much as she loved her human companions. A girl who loved pokemon every bit as much as I did. Before me stood a girl who was not afraid to fight for what she believed in, not afraid to stand up even if she was alone, and battle impossible odds with her friends at her side.

"I—I…It doesn't matter," I tried half-heartedly. "You're the same. You're still a trainer—you still use pokemon for your own benefit."

She gave a sad smile.

"You're lying. You know you are."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I couldn't even make that sound convincing to myself. So, I stood by my first defense.

"It doesn't matter. I will liberate pokemon."

She shook her head.

"N, are you really going to rip apart trainers and their pokemon; tear friends away from each other?"

"I do regret that the few trainers like you," I said, "who care for their pokemon, will have to give them up, but I will do what's best for the majority of pokemon."

Touko sighed; the look in her eyes was so sad that I had to fight the completely alien urge to comfort her. What on poke earth?

"N, I can see that I won't be able to convince you that the majority of pokemon _are_ happy, so I'll just wish you luck with your life, and keep fighting your people. But now I have to go."

I frowned and caught her elbow as she turned to leave.

"If you realize that I will not be swayed, why must you continue to fight?"

"Because, just because I can't make you see reason, doesn't mean that I can't beat you to the Sinnoh region and back."

She smirked slightly.

I snorted derisively. Those words were of a hopeless dreamer.

"A fool's belief, dear Touko. However, I will humor you. I am going to reach Dragonspiral Tower, and I shall awaken the legendary pokemon Zekrom. The dragon of ideals will stand by me as I liberate pokemon everywhere. No matter how hard you try to stop it, I will succeed, Touko. But I will allow you to continue this fruitless quest."

She raised her eyebrows.

"You'll _allow_ me?" she scoffed. "You couldn't stop me no matter how hard you tried N, if you hadn't guessed that already."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I've figure as much. Well, trainer Touko, I suppose that this is where I take my leave of you. Good bye, and I shall see you again."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she sighed, but gave a small smile.

Wearing that smirk, she shook her head and turned away, setting a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"See you, N," she chuckled, and walked away, waving a hand over her shoulder.

I stared after her retreating form, and the large Serperior at her side, until they vanished from sight. Stubborn mule. That was what she was. As stubborn as a Primeape that I had once battled; for the most part, it refused to listen to its trainer, and had lost. However, when I offered to liberate it, it insisted that it didn't actually want that. Contradictions of contradictions, piled on top of more contradictions. This was what Touko gave me the impression of. She was a kind, loving trainer. She collected gym badges, and battled with her pokemon, but she cared for them and never put them in battles where they had no chance. She knew she couldn't change my mind, yet still she continued to fight, to try. _Why?_

I shook my head and looked up to the sky. It did not matter. She would not be able to stop me from awakening Zekrom, and from liberating all those pokemon who were abused.

_Most aren't…_ her protest echoed in my mind. _Trainers and pokemon care about each other…_

Again I shook my head, like a Lilipup dispersing water, but it did nothing to clear my head, to shake away those traitorous thoughts. What did it matter what she said? She was a _trainer_! Trainers were not to be trusted. This was one of the first lessons I learned. They lied, they cheated, and they hurt others. This was what they did.

_Do they, though?_ It was her voice again, but I don't know that it was a memory. Great, my mind was supplying me with her arguments even when she wasn't there!

_Think, N. Think hard. Is that really what Touko is like?_

I scowled and chased those thoughts away, because I knew that if I let them continue, and I inadvertently answered them, I would not like my answer.


	6. Determined at Dragonspiral

"Yes!" I cried, staring up at the towering black form before me. "Zekrom! You have awakened for me! Battle me, my friend, and join me in my quest!"

The black dragon roared, and advanced. I smiled, and tossed out my first friend.

"Zoroark! Help me to befriend the legendary dragon of ideals!"

"No!" screamed a voice from the stairway.

I looked away from the poke ball on the floor, over my shoulder. Touko was there, leaning against the crumbling railing and breathing heavily, watching with horrified fascination as the poke ball gave a final twitch, and lie still on the cracked floor. I walked to the ball, stooped to pick it up, and threw it into the air. Zekrom burst from it in that customary flash of white blue light, roaring once more.

"I have awakened the legendary pokemon Zekrom," I said without turning to look at her. I knew her blue eyes were fixed on me already. "He recognized me as his hero, and with his aid I am sure to become the most powerful trainer in all of Unova, in all of the world, and together we shall free all pokemon from their repressive trainers. I envision a new world, where pokemon and people work in perfect unity, with none of the slavish aspects that we do now."

"Oh, God," Touko breathed, and her voice was shaky.

This was the first time, in all the times I'd seen her and spoke with her, that she sounded…afraid. Intimidated. I turned, curious to see the expression on her face. Her skin sickly pale, her electric blue eyes huge with fear. Her lips were pressed into a hard, colorless line. Her hands trembled on the railing, and was it my imagination, or were her knees beginning to shake?

"You see? Finally, you understand that you cannot beat me," I said.

I should have felt triumphant. After all, I'd gotten what I'd come for. I had the dragon of ideals behind me. I had already won, as far as she was concerned. There was no way she would defeat me now, and surely she knew this. So why did I not feel as though I'd had a victory? Seeing the almost nauseous look on Touko's too pale face, I felt a sliver of foreboding in my stomach, curling and lodging there like a cold, hard stone.

"N, do you have any idea what you've done?" she breathed.

"I have won," I answered without hesitation.

She shook her head slowly, and her hands slid from the rail. She fell to her knees at the top of the stairs, heedless of the shards of broken glass and tile that littered the ground.

"You have no idea what you've just set in motion," was her hoarse reply. "You're setting an ancient pokemon, who knows nothing of the modern world, into the middle of your battle. This will only end in tears, N. Nothing good will come from what you've done."

"I will lead Zekrom in the modern world," I dismissed. But her words gnawed at me. Was she right?

"How can you, when you don't understand it either, N?" Her voice was almost pleading in its vehemence. "N, you've only started a war. No one will win this fight, of this I can assure you. You've awakened a power best left untouched, and failed to bring his counterpart to balance out your actions. Destruction is all that is left now. This has gone beyond simple ideals. You have traversed too far the path of a fanatic, and we will all pay for your ignorance, for your lack of compassion."

I stared at her. Could she possibly be right? Had I taken my ideals too far in awakening the ancient pokemon Zekrom without bringing back his brother, the white dragon? Was it possible that I had doomed Unova to chaos? I shook my head furiously. No. No, what I was doing, I was doing for the pokemon. I was doing this so that pokemon could be freed, and the world could be at peace. Nothing I did to in order to bring that about could make something so horrible happen. Nothing. Not awakening Zekrom, or taking away trainers' friends—no, their slaves!—could be so evil as to cause total disruption. Could it?

"You're wrong!" I shouted, and grimaced at the obvious note of denial in my voice. "You are the ignorant one, for believing in such a thing. I seek to release pokemon from the brutal treatment of trainers everywhere! Why must you fight the inevitable?"

If I had said this once, I had said it a hundred times. You know that old saying, about how the more you repeat something, the less meaning it contains? That's what I was beginning to experience. I've always believed trainers to be evil. And even as I met some, like Touko, who were nowhere near cruel or evil, I insisted that freeing pokemon was in their best interest. I said it, and I said it, and I said it, and the more I said it, the less meaning it had, until it was just an empty mantra to stand by when struck speechless.

Touko's eyes shone, and slowly she used the rail to drag herself to her feet. Her hands no longer shook, and her legs were solid and steady. Even so, her face was still pale, and the unmistakable moisture in her eyes belied her steady limbs.

"N," she murmured, taking a step forward. "You've seen countless trainers, just in Unova, and how many of them were abusive?"

"There are more than just the ones I have me—"

"_How_ _many_?" she thundered, stepping forward once more. I blinked, taken aback by the fire in her voice.

"I—I…" I mumbled. "I can't say…that I…have…"

"Exactly!" she cried. "Nearly all trainers care about their pokemon; nearly all of them love them like family. They're best friends! And it is for _those _trainers that I fight! I will always fight. Every day, every moment I live and breathe, I will fight you with all my strength, for all the trainers from whom you would steal their friends! I will _never_ give up on them, nor would I let my own friends go without a fight. I will never back down; _never_ will I surrender to you, you power-crazed, socially ignorant boy! I will, with my dying breath, fight your ideals if I have to."

I stared at her, unsure of what to say. A low grumbling sound behind me reminded me that Zekrom waited for my command.

"Your words mean nothing," I settled for, turning and striding to the midnight giant. "I will become the strongest trainer, whatever you say. If you wish to defy me still, you should search for the Light Stone that holds Reshiram, Zekrom's counterpart. He is the dragon of truth. Search for him. I will await you at the pokemon League."

"Wait! N!" she snarled, but I had already climbed onto Zekrom's back, and with a few powerful wing beats, we were airborne, soaring away from the Dragonspiral Tower with Touko's last cry still ringing in my ears.


	7. A Hero is Recognized

"Arg, the brat is determined!" I heard my father growl outside my door. "At every turn, she is right there, trying her hardest to thwart us! Why, I had barely reached the Relic Castle, and made it to the depths, before the Champion confronted me, shortly followed by the scrawny child! Of course, the Light stone was not there, but somehow she acquired it upon leaving the Castle."

"Lord Ghetsis," acknowledged another voice. One of the Shadow Triad. "I already know all of this. It was I you sent to spy on her, and I do not know what I should say."

"Don't say anything, you fool!" my father snapped. "Now, leave me. I must speak with N."

"Of course." Muted footsteps followed the man as he moved farther down the hall.

My door swung open without Father bothering to knock, and he swept in, his long robes swirling around his ankles like some mysterious, ancient wizard.

"N, you must reach the Pokémon League before that little horror of a girl does. I am sure that she will not be able to awaken Reshiram, but she will still get in the way. It would be best for everyone if you could defeat that fool Alder and free the Pokémon of Unova without her interference."

"Of course, Father. I shall leave posthaste," I readily agreed, rising fluidly to my feet.

I thought I caught his lips twitch, but the movement was so fast, and so small, it was hard to tell for sure. Certainly, there was something in his eyes that seemed strange.

"Leave then, N, and take your place as the King of Team Plasma, and of Unova. And then, the world."

I bowed my head respectfully, and brushed past him to leave. I would defeat the Pokémon League, and the Champion, and Trainers everywhere would be forced to release their Pokémon . There was nothing Touko could do to stop me. Absolutely nothing. So why did I feel a thread of foreboding curl in my chest?

…

"N!"

The shout came from the entrance to the chamber. I turned to look past my shoulder. Touko had moved quickly. But I had already won.

"Touko."

She entered slowly, her chestnut hair falling out of its ponytail and her blue eyes bright with fire. She stood tall and straight, her steps were sure and steady, her shoulders squared. The look on her face was not resigned, horrified, or any of the things I had imagined. It was determined. Fierce. She looked every bit as powerful as I knew she could be. But why, when it was clear that I had won our battle?

"I can't let you do this, N," she said firmly. "I can't let you take thousands of children's futures from them. I can't let you separate best friends."

"You have no choice," I responded. "It is done. I have won; I have beaten the Champion. Now people must listen to me when I demand that their Pokémon be released."

"You still believe that that's what's best?" Touko demanded. Gone was her cool, calm demeanor. The careful countenance she had treated me with was vanished, to be replaced by what appeared to be burning anger. "After all of this, you can still say that Pokémon are better off without us?"

"Yes, Touko, I can," I responded.

Before she could answer, I stepped forward, and continued to speak, pacing as I did so, in great agitation.

"I am disappointed, Touko. The Light Stone that you carry remains dormant inside your bag. It does not respond to you at all. And I was so sure you were the other hero, the Hero of Truth. I thought that surely you could awaken Reshiram. I thought you were different, stronger and kinder, than other Trainers. This was why I insisted constantly on battling you. I felt that I grew to understand you from our battles, that I learned a little more about you each time we fought."

I stopped and shook my head.

"But this was naïve. How foolish of me, to believe that I could learn about a person through a Pokémon battle. Clearly, you are no different, and Reshiram knows this. And so, with Zekrom as my partner, I will free all Pokémon from their horrid Trainers. And there is nothing you can do, Touko. No more that you can achieve. I am your King. Accept it."

But the words sounded…empty, hollow. Like I didn't quite believe them myself. And looking into Touko's blazing eyes, I don't think she believed them either. In fact, I know she didn't. Head held high, she took a challenging step forward, and drew a pokeball from her belt. I stared at her in a mixture of exasperation and acceptance. She would never back down, never admit defeat, until she was defeated and broken beyond repair.

"You are not a King, N," she said, voice low. "You are a spoiled child, raised on a fool's ideals, with no idea what the real world is like. You can never be a great ruler, and you will never be my King. If you want me to bow down to you, you'll have to knock me to the ground and keep me there. Because even if nothing I do changes anything, at least in doing something, I know I've tried. Because there is _always_ something that someone can do. Maybe I couldn't awaken Reshiram. Maybe I'm no Hero of Truth. But I am me. I am the only hero I need, and I see now that you will never see the truth. You blindly follow your ideals. The only way to stop you is to beat you beyond defiance. Maybe after you've been beaten, then you'll realize what you've being doing wrong. But I promise you this N: I _will_ battle you, and I will do my damndest to win."

I smiled and shook my head.

"You may challenge me, but, Touko, you will lose."

I then turned to the far wall.

"Zekrom, come to me! Assist me in battle once more!"

A cry echoed outside. The building began to shudder. And, with an almighty _boom!_ the wall was blown to smoldering bits. A huge, dark shape flew in through the gaping hole in the wall and alighted on the floor before me with a thunderous, earth-shaking tremor. Bright blue electricity arced from the massive, threatening black dragon. I turned back to Touko. She looked as determined as ever, her steel resolve barely noting the power that emanated from my newest friend.

"It isn't enough to have power, N. You should know that," she said, shaking her head. "Technique. Intuition. The ability to tell right from wrong, truth from lies. You don't have that ability. I do. I know the truth, and I will use that to defeat you!"

I watched as she raised her pokeball, preparing to throw it into the center of what would become our arena. But something stopped her. She hesitated, then lowered her pokeball, clipping it back to her belt. Then, her delicate hands, with their tapered fingers, reached into her bag. When they came back, they held the dormant Light Stone. Only, it was no longer dormant. A slight glow surrounded it, and if I judged by the ginger way Touko held it, it was emitting a great heat. It sat in her hands for only a moment; then it was lifted into the air, as if by an invisible air current, and began to spin. Faster and faster and faster it rotated, until it was a shining blur that grew steadily brighter, until it was painful to look. I had to avert my eyes before I went blind. When the glaring light against my eyelids eased, I risked cracking my eyes open and peering over my shielding arm.

Where just a split second before there had been a medium-sized white stone, in the air hovered a huge, graceful, snow white form, eyes closed. Something like a dragon, curled in on itself with its wings wrapped around its body like a protective barrier. Graceful plumes of smoke-like feathers flowed from its body, down its tail, along its wings, and from its feminine head. Its nose was tapered, its features delicate. For a long moment, Reshiram just floated in the air, without moving so much as a twitch. And then, without warning, in a movement so sharp and quick it was nonexistent, the eyes flashed open. Huge, electric blues eyes blazed with an inner fire so like Touko, that I had to glance at her to make sure she and Reshiram had not somehow merged into a single being. But no; Touko stood quite still, staring open-mouthed at the legendary Pokémon that she had just awakened. It seemed that I had been right. Touko was indeed the Hero of Truth.

Reshiram gave a loud, screeching roar, and flung its wings open, causing a gust of wind that I had to brace myself against. His tail began to glow, turning to shocking red and orange. Flames exploded from the dragon's body, dancing out in rings of blazing fire and streaking up to the roof.

"Reshiram has awakened," I said softly.

The Pokémon stretched its wings once more, and fell on powerful legs to the floor, shaking the entire building. The inferno blazing around it faded, and it turned to face Touko.

"He wants you to capture him, Touko," I told her.

She smiled and raised her pokeball once more. In her habitual style, she kissed the ball, and tossed it high. From it burst her Serperior. I frowned. Surely she knew that this was far from an ideal matchup. She was a skilled Trainer: why would she send a Grass type Pokémon out against a Fire- and Dragon type?

"If I can't do this with my first partner, I don't deserve to call myself her Trainer," she said in response to my bewildered look.

I couldn't help my small smile, and I shook my head. Of course. Well, this wouldn't last long, of this I was quite sure.


	8. The Sound of Truth

Well, I was right again. It had taken no time at all. Touko straightened up, a pokeball clutched firmly in her hand. She got lucky; she had an empty slot on her belt. If she had had six pokemon, Reshiram would have been sent to storage.

"Well, you have captured the dragon of truth, Touko. You are indeed his Hero. Here, let me heal your pokemon. There is no honor in defeating a weakened Trainer."

She scowled, but allowed me to take her pokemon and treat them. I returned them to her and stepped back, Zekrom standing behind me.

"Alright, Touko. You have awoken the dragon Reshiram. Are you prepared to battle me, and my partner Zekrom?"

Touko snorted and held her own pokeball out in a challenging gesture, her arm crossed over her chest.

"I've been battling you since the start of my journey. So you have different pokemon now; is that supposed to intimidate me? We were ready when we first met you. Why wouldn't we be ready now?"

She spoke for all of them, not just herself.

I shook my head.

"You still persist in fighting me, even now? You must know that you do not have a hope of defeating me."

Touko rolled her eyes.

"If you've said that once, you've said it a hundred times, and I still don't care. Now bring it on. I can take anything you can dish out and more."

I laughed even as I threw my pokeball. Hers flew high into the air. At the same time, our pokemon burst forward. Her Zebstrika, and my Zoroark. But Zoroark came out disguised as my Klinklang. I smiled. So did Touko.

"Zebstrika, return!" she called, pulling her pokemon out.

With a challenging look at me, she drew another pokeball. From it, in that flash of bright light, came her Conkeldurr.

"Conkeldurr, use Brick Break!" Touko shouted.

I stiffened. What? Not good!

Zoroark flew backward, crashing into a pillar. His illusion flickered and died, and he lay, quite still, as his self.

"How—"

"I knew you had a Zoroark—and you smiled like you were in on a secret when you sent out your pokemon. Now why on poke earth would you do that, unless you thought you thought you were about to pull a fast one on me?" Touko answered.

I stared at her in disbelief.

"You'll want to recall him, N," she said. "He can't battle anymore. It was a one-hit knock out."

Mechanically, I did call Zoroark back.

"Okay, Touko. Let the real battle begin."

And begin it did.

…..

It was down to Reshiram and Zekrom now. All of my pokemon had fainted, and Touko's Serperior was barely hanging on. She wouldn't keep her out there if she had another option. And she did.

"Reshiram, it's up to you!" she shouted, throwing her pokeball out between us.

The white dragon exploded from the poke ball, flames dancing on its wings. Those bright blue eyes fixed on Zekrom, and he let out a long bellow.

"Zekrom, my friend, join me in battle," I said, looking up at the hulking black figure.

Blue electricity climbed over his body. He let out his own roar.

"You're our last hope, Reshiram!" Touko shouted. "Don't let us down!"

A noise emanated from Reshiram's throat, sounding almost like a purr.

"Use Fusion Flare!"

The blast of heat and fire from Reshiram's gaping maw was intensely great. I felt it from where I stood, at the far end of the room.

"Zekrom, dodge it!" I cried. He tried, but Reshiram was too quick, nailing him with his blazing, fiery attack. "No!"

Zekrom cried out when the attack landed, but he remained tall and upright. He roared in defiance.

"Fusion Bolt, Zekrom!" I shouted.

As he charged his attack, electricity began arcing over his body. I felt the hairs on my arms rise.

"Counter it with Fusion Flare, Reshiram!" Touko cried.

The attacks collided in the center of the arena, creating a powerful blast that knocked me backwards. A colossal _boom!_ echoed through the hall, and I could hear chunks of ceiling fall to the floor.

_Thank goodness we're on the top level_, I thought dazedly, stumbling haphazardly to my feet. Touko had not budged from her spot. The dragons stood erect, but marks of battle already held them.

Reshiram and Zekrom both had burn marks, scrapes, and bruises from debris. Touko, too, looked injured, but it was quite clear that she wasn't going anywhere. Well, neither was I.

"Zekrom, Bolt Strike!"

…..

I felt my legs give way beneath me, and the ground hit my knees hard enough to sent tremors through my spine. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Zekrom, slumped on the cracked marble floor, solidly out cold. Reshiram stood across the hall, breathing heavily and covered with the marks of the battle. Nonetheless, when his brother fell, he let out a tremendous bellow of victory, and glaring orange flame spewed from his maw.

We had lost. Somehow, unbelievably, Touko had driven us into a corner, and defeated us. Presently, she was jumping up and down, her fist punching the air as she let out great whoops of delight. She ran forward and leapt at Reshiram, hugging him around the neck. That purring noise started in the pokemon's throat again.

"No…" I breathed.

Touko looked around. When her gaze rested on me, it held none of the spite or triumph I might have expected. Instead, compassion and understanding overflowed from those bright blue eyes. Her arms slid from Reshiram, and she dropped gracefully back to the floor. She walked toward me on slim, scratched, and burned legs, but she'd never looked happier, or more compassionate.

"How…How could you…How could you have defeated me?" I demanded.

She smiled, eyes warm and soft.

"Because, N, I had faith. I believed in myself, my pokemon, and I fought on behalf of all of the Trainers that couldn't. I fought for a worthy cause, a cause that I believed in completely and unconditionally."

"So did I!" I cried. "I believed I was doing the right thing!"

She tilted her head slightly, rather like a curious Lilipup might.

"Did you, N? Did you really?"

I opened my mouth to reply, to answer that _of course,_ I did. That I knew I was right and that I fought for an entirely just cause. But I found that I had no words, because in all honesty, I hadn't been truly sure that I was right. Until I had set foot among the public world, I had been sure that pokemon everywhere wanted to be freed. But when I met Touko, everything had turned upside down. Before me was a Trainer who seemed to care explicitly for the well-being of her pokemon. Who cared whether those I thought were slaves were _happy_. They fought like a single, well-tuned machine. They were happy with each other, cared about each other, took care of one another. It made me question whether more Trainers were like this. The more I encountered Touko, the more I questioned my quest. The more I questioned Team Plasma, questioned my father. Questioned myself.

"The moment you set foot on Unova soil, and met real Trainers, your carefully constructed hatred began to waver, and your uncertainty began. That indecision only grew as you continued your journey, didn't it? You constantly wondered if Trainers were, in fact, not cruel, uncaring slave drivers. You began to consider the possibility that we weren't evil, demonic beings. You weren't entirely confident in your cause anymore. You're a skilled Trainer, but it takes more than even skill if you want to win the most important battles."

My reply was interrupted by the doors of the hall slamming open with a loud bang. I looked around and saw as my father strode in wearing his magnificent violet robes.

"Pathetic," he sneered.

"Father!" I exclaimed, glad to see that the Gym Leaders had not caused him any trouble.

Surprisingly, his scowl deepened as he looked at me, an expression of deep disdain stamped across his features.

"Pathetic," he repeated. "I raised you, trained you. You awakened the legendary pokemon Zekrom. And yet, you are defeated by this weak, insignificant girl! You do not deserve to share the name Harmonia with me!"

I blinked, unsure whether or not I was hearing him right. I wasn't sure what to say.

"Ghetsis!" Touko snarled, straightening up and turning to face my father. "You're a Grumpig among Grumpigs! Raising your own son, all these years, to despise Trainers. You've used him as a tool, and for what? What do you gain out of all of this?"

Father smiled nastily. I had never seen the expression on his face before, but it was apparent to me in that instant that the look came naturally to him. He had worn it often.

"Child, you have no right to stand there and throw your words at me. Come here."

Why she did it, I don't know. But she did as my father said, walking forward with her head held high, her stride long and rhythmic. When she was in arm's reach of him, Father did something I would not have believed him capable of, if I hadn't witnessed it myself. He rose a pale, thin hand, and struck Touko a stinging blow across the side of her face. Her head snapped to the side with the impact of the hit, but she did not utter a sound. The only noise in the hall, then, was the echoing of that slap, and of my startled shout. She turned her head to stare him straight in the eye, and, above a painful-looking red handprint, her electric eyes blazed with anger and determination.

"You are small," Father spat. "Weak. Unimportant. You defeated that child only because he was even more so. You belong kneeling on the ground, at my feet. I know true strength. True power. Truth; is that not what you fight for? I know all truths."

Touko raised one slender brown brow.

"Is that so, Ghetsis? Then answer me this, if you know all: can such a weakling as me possibly defeat a man as strong and skilled and learned as you?"

Father laughed loudly. Mockingly.

"You ask questions you already know the answer to!" he chortled. "Alright, I'll stoop to answer your ridiculous query. You have no hope of defeating me in battle, child. We both know this is true."

"Prove it," Touko spat. "Battle me now, and prove your superiority. If you can defeat me, I will do as you say. I will bow before you, and never challenge you again."

Father smiled.

"But," she continued. "If _I_ win, you will turn yourself in. You will release this sick hold you have over your son. And you will never, _ever_, threaten Unova again."

He laughed uproariously, clutching his abdomen in his mirth.

"Child, you hand your obedience to me on a silver platter this way! Fine. I will battle you. And I will take great pleasure in watching you fall to your knees before me when I have won."

"We'll see," she answered.

"Touko—" I started. She threw me a dark look.

"The sooner you quit telling me what I can and can't do, the sooner we'll start getting along. You said I couldn't awaken Reshiram. You said I couldn't overcome the Elite Four. You said I couldn't defeat you. Don't even tell me I can't beat him."

I blinked.

"I was just going to offer to heal your pokemon."

She had the decency to look chagrined.

"Oh. Okay, thanks."

I raised an eyebrow of my own, and quickly treated her pokemon.

"Are you ready now, O Hero of Truth?" Father mocked. "Healing them will only prolong their suffering. Your defeat is inevitable."

"I am so _sick_ of people telling me what I can and can't do!" Touko snarled. "What is inevitable, what must happen, what _will_ happen! It's all a bunch of BS, and I'm not buying it! I've made it this far. Against all odds, _I made it here_! And so help me I will _not_ be beaten now that I am here! Bring it on, Ghetsis! I can take all you can dish out and a _HELL_ of a lot more!"

She ended on a roar that rivaled even Reshiram and Zekrom's battle cries. Father looked merely amused as he drew a poke ball from the folds of his robe.

"Let's finish this quickly, shall we?" he drawled lazily, and threw his poke ball out into the space between them.

Touko took her pokemon back from me, and put all of the balls on her belt but one. Reshiram's poke ball remained in her hand as she turned to face the man I had always held respect for, always believed inexplicitly in.

"Ghetsis, I am the Hero of Truth. The truths you claim to know are illusions, tainted with the dishonesty that you have shown every single person you have met. For your crimes against humans and pokemon, I battle you here and now, with Reshiram as my partner, and we will see you go down in flames, until nothing but ashes remain of your short, false legacy. See the power of a true Trainer!"

With her last word, she threw Reshiram's ball out into their arena. The white dragon burst forth in a shower blue-white light, stretching his wings once more and letting out another fearsome bellow.

"Are you ready, Ghetsis? Because this will be your final battle!" Touko roared, and her voice, and that of the dragon's, blended into one sound. A sound of purity, of strength and of power.

A sound of absolute truth.


	9. It's All Over, Right?

"Impossible!" Ghetsis roared, even as his final Pokémon fell. "I am perfect! I am the perfect ruler! How is this possible?"

Touko stood across from him, tall and imposing even though it was clear that she was exhausted. Her back was straight, her head erect, and her face was a cold mask of indifference. I had never seen such a blatant expression of dislike on her face before. She despised my father, and she did not bother to hide it. It showed in every set line of her face, every tense fiber in her jaw, every glint in her blue eyes, hardened to ice.

"It's entirely possible, Ghetsis," she said, and her tone was as harsh as her manner. "Now, we had a deal. Turn yourself in. Whatever you might have gained from this adventure, it's available no longer. Leave your son to live his own life."

Surprisingly, Father began to laugh.

"That child?" he chuckled.

The doors to the hall slammed open, and several extremely agitated-looking people rushed in. Alder, the League Champion, dashed at once for Ghetsis, his fiery hair quivering. Cheren was with Alder, taking a firm hold on one of Father's forearms. Touya went straight for Touko and, completely heedless of the hulking dragon beside her, grabbed her in a fierce embrace, lifting her into the air. Touko laughed.

"Ghetsis, for all of your crimes against Pokémon, Trainers, and the entirety of the Pokémon League, you are under arrest," Alder growled.

Ghetsis just continued to chortle.

"Ah, Touko, I believe you asked me earlier what I would have gained, if N's plan succeeded."

"Quiet!" Cheren snapped, but I held up a hand for him to follow his own advice. Ghetsis' smile was unpleasant and mocking.

"Power. Total, utter control. The Pokémon would not have been released into the wild. Not all of them. I would have kept the most powerful ones, the rarest ones, for myself. After all, someone must be prepared to wipe out any existing threats. I would have been the ruler of Unova; of the world. It was no accident that N only ever met abused Pokémon. I needed him as my puppet, where I pulled the strings. I told him whatever would build up to my ultimate goal. But even there he failed me. Even when all he had to do was be a good boy and ignore the other Trainers, he could not."

I stared at him, unsure of what I was hearing. All around me, the others bore expressions ranging from horror, to contempt, to disgust. Only Touko's was different. She had an expression of great sorrow and pity on her face.

"You monster!" Cheren spat.

"What kind of man would use his own son as some kind of tool?" Alder shook his head in abhorrence.

"I feel sorry for you, Ghetsis," Touko sighed, one arm still around Touya's shoulders. "You are a truly lost individual."

"Spare me your preaching, child, I have no use for words of nonsense. And you," Father shoved the raven-haired boy holding one of his arms. "You call me a monster? I am no monster. The child I raised, though…he is."

Alder turned to look at me. I fought an odd, instinctive urge to hide my face in shame. I had been used. Played, like a board game. I was nothing more than a puppet in this whole game. I had been used, followed directions blindly. By my own father. The one person I thought I could always count on; always believe in.

"No hero could be the kind of evil that you embody, Ghetsis. No hero that could awaken Zekrom with his strength and determination," Alder said firmly, eyes still on me.

"Touko's the hero," I said instantly. "She won the battle. She's the hero."

Touko smiled and slipped out of Touya's arms to approach me.

"We're both heroes, N," she said gently, laying a hand on my shoulder. It was exceedingly warm through the frayed material of my shirt. "We both awakened a legendary Pokémon; we each woke one of the dormant brothers. We're both heroes."

"W-what?" I frowned, confused. "How can there be two heroes? That just doesn't make sense!"

"We're the Heroes of Truth and Ideals. Both of us."

"How can Truth _and _Ideals prevail?" I demanded. "How can there be two heroes? I don't understand!"

Behind Touko, Ghetsis laughed again. The girl's face hardened and she turned.

"Ha! Since I couldn't become the hero and obtain the legendary Pokémon myself... I prepared someone for that purpose-N! He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart. Do you think you're going to get through to a warped person like that?"

"You're a pig, Ghetsis!" Touko snarled. "He's your son! How could you talk about him like that?"

Father's steely blue gaze met mine. I had inherited my eyes from him. My hair as well. But apparently that meant less than nothing to him. I could not force any noise out past the lump that had formed in my throat. My eyes stung. My head hurt. I felt as though a giant hand was slowly and painfully squeezing my chest. Was this what rejection felt like? Betrayal, heartbreak, those things I never expected to feel. My father returned my stare with not a hint of sympathy, of feeling. He looked merely disgusted.

"I am no pig, and he hardly can be called my son. He doesn't deserve to share the name Harmonia with me. He was nothing more than a pawn to me."

Touko's hands clenched and unclenched slowly, fingers trembling with anger.

"You're right, Ghetsis. He doesn't deserve to be called Harmonia. He deserves way more than you, and it's just a shame that it was you he was borne to. You were gifted with an amazingly talented, intelligent child. You could have raised him to love, and to have fun with other people. You could have been a real parent. Instead you acted as his puppeteer."

Touya put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, probably as a warning to calm down, because the anger in her voice was at boiling point, and she had taken a threatening step forward. I did not expect the spark of anger at that small, insignificant touch that flared unexpectedly in my chest. And I wondered at this.

"Ghetsis, I think that's more than enough from you," Alder growled.

Father laughed.

"Oh, I have said all that I need to. N was a disappointment, and Touko was a lucky child."

With a snort of contempt, Cheren and Alder jerked Ghetsis's arms, and they led him out of the chamber. That left Touko, Touya, and myself in the ruined room. A loud, gravelly rumble reminded me that Reshiram was also there.

"Well, you did it, Touko. You really did it," Touya said with a grin, turning to face the Hero of Truth.

Touko laughed.

"Did you expect anything else?"

Touya's smile softened, and he leaned his forehead against Touko's. There was a foreign sensation in my stomach, like it was being twisted into knots, and I felt heat start to rise in my neck. I fought against these strange feelings, wondering what they signified.

"Nope. I believed in you from the start."

She smiled, then pulled back and looked over at me.

"So, N, do you understand what was going on now?" she asked seriously.

I nodded mutely, biting my lip. Reading the consternation in my eyes, she gave a small, understanding smile, and slid out of Touya's arms to walk to my side.

"Everyone makes mistakes, N," she said softly. "Don't judge yourself too harshly."

I nodded, and looked around at the ruined building. There was a large, gaping hole in the far wall, behind the throne, where Zekrom had burst forward.

"Touko, I asked you once…I asked you if you had a dream," I said quietly, starting to walk toward the hole.

I pulled Zekrom's poke ball from my belt, absent-mindedly, not really thinking about what I was doing.

"Yeah," she answered, walking beside me.

I looked over at her.

"I didn't. I was only a tool in my father's grand scheme. Stripped of that, I don't know what I want. All my life, I could never truly comprehend people. I never understood what they did, or why they did it. I could only ever understand Pokémon. No…No, I didn't even understand Pokémon as well as I thought I did. If I did, this whole thing would never have happened."

I sighed, and stopped walking at the crater in the wall and part of the floor, turning to look at Touko straight on. I through my poke ball into the hole; Zekrom exploded in that flash of blue-ish light, and hovered, waiting.

"What are you going to do, N?" Touko wondered.

"I don't know what I'll do now. Explore the world, I guess. Learn everything that I can."

Touko smiled. "Sounds like a plan. I'm sure I'll see you again. We have a knack for running into each other."

I gave a small chuckle, but sobered quickly.

"You said you have a dream, Touko. Follow that dream. Do whatever you can to make it a reality. Follow it, and it will become your truth."

Then I turned and leapt out, onto Zekrom's back.

"N!" Touko shouted in alarm.

I'm sure she heard my laughed as I flew away. Not away forever. I knew I would see her again, in many regions of the world. She was right in that situation, as she had been in all so far. We had an incredible talent of finding each other.

~…Touko….~

_Wow,_ I thought, looking out over the Marvelous Bridge. _It's aptly named_.

It was, indeed, marvelous. The view was spectacular, and the design of the bridge itself was incredibly impressive. Many people were out on it, just lounging around. There was a girl with four Patrats, apparently doing some kind of game. A boy and a girl stood side-by-side, looking out over the guardrail. I was walking straight down the center, trying to follow that glowing blue line that spanned the bridge. Hey, you're never too old for a silly game every now and then. My eyes were fixed on the line beneath my feet.

That's why I had only a second's warning, a slight shift in the air around me, before three black-clad men surrounded me. The Shadow Triad. Why, oh why could I not be left _alone_?

"What now?" I demanded, looking at all of them.

"Our Lord Ghetsis, before he was arrested, gave us something to give to you."

"Huh? Why would he—" I started, but was cut off by something being shoved into my hands.

I frowned down at it. It was a large, ochre-colored stone, similar to the Light Stone in size, and was a peculiar shape. There was a strange aura to it, that made me think of darkness and shadows.

"That's the Griseous Orb," said the man who handed it to me.

"Grisy-what?" I spluttered.

"Griseous Orb," he repeated.

I'm sure the look on my face was beyond puzzled, but nonetheless I slid it into my bag, recently emptied at home. The ochre orb had barely left my hands when another object was pushed into them. It was smooth and perfectly round, and had a lovely mother-of-pearl sheen, that gave it an extra dimensional appearance.

"And this is?" I prompted when no one spoke.

"The Lustrous Orb."

"What am I supposed to do with these?" I inquired, even as I put the second orb away.

Instead of an answer, I got yet another object shoved into my arms. It was about the same size as the other two, with a clear, sharp blue color. It had many facets, that all caught the light in different ways. I'd be willing to bet that this stone couldn't be worn down over time, not even over thousands of years.

"The Adamant Orb."

I sighed and, rolling my eyes, tucked this orb away as well. My bag was now considerably fuller and heavier than when I had left White Forest.

"Lord Ghetsis was specific in his orders to give these to you," said the tallest man.

"I wonder if he decided to have faith in you," said the man on the left.

"Or if he is merely using you as his puppet," finished the last one.

"What do you mean by th—" I started to ask, but they vanished in the middle of my sentence in that annoying way that they often did.

I stared down at my bag, weighed down now by three mysterious orbs, sent by a man I had hoped to forget about. Why couldn't I have a simple life? I felt a thrill of foreboding run through me, sending goosebumps erupting down my arms. This could not lead anywhere good.

…

_**Alright, that's the end of this one, but I'll be making a sequel sometime soon, I promise. R&R**_


End file.
